Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Rail Services

Thursday 26 October 2023 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial advice is taken from the Transport Committee regarding railway issues.
  • The Government is consulting on industry proposals for ticket offices at South Western Rail stations.
  • Network North aims to connect major cities in the north with investments exceeding 2 billion.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Munira Wilson Lib Dem Twickenham
Transport
Context

The Liberal Democrat MP questions steps being taken to improve rail service in Twickenham, referencing recent positive results and concerns over staffing cuts.

Question

I thank the Minister for that answer. If we want to encourage more people to use our railways we need to ensure that our stations are properly staffed so that they are accessible and safe for all, and that all complex tickets can be purchased easily, yet the Government are backing South Western Railway's plans to slash staffing hours at stations across my constituency, in some cases by up to 80% in very heavily used stations. Will the Minister heed the advice of the Transport Committee, which has said this week that ticket office closure plans are moving “too far, too fast”, and his own statement that he does not expect a material reduction in hours, and stop these plans in their tracks?

Answer from Huw Merriman

I always take onboard the advice of the Transport Committee, because it does a great job and always has done. On ticket offices, these are industry proposals, which, pursuant to the process set out in the ticketing and settlement agreement, are currently being consulted on between the train operators and the passenger bodies. We expect that consultation stage to conclude shortly. I have made it clear at this Dispatch Box, and the Secretary of State has also been clear, that this should be a redeployment and multi-skilling of staff exercise to enhance the passenger experience.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not commit to heeding the advice of the Transport Committee or stopping the plans as requested.

How: Industry Proposals Are Currently Being Consulted On, The Consultation Stage Will Conclude Shortly

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Q2 Munira Wilson Lib Dem Twickenham
Transport
Context

The Conservative MP addresses serious overcrowding issues on Chiltern railway services, particularly at rush hours and weekends, seeking short-term fixes like the use of additional Class 68 units.

Question

Serious overcrowding persists on Chiltern railway services serving my constituents, particularly at rush hours and weekends. The long-term solution is whole-fleet renewal, but there are some short-term fixes that Chiltern is asking for, such as being permitted to bring its extra set of Class 68s back into use. Can my hon. Friend assure me that he is doing everything possible at pace with Chiltern to improve rail services for my constituents?

Answer from Huw Merriman

My hon. Friend is another excellent member of the Transport Committee, and he always champions the need for more capacity on his busy railway lines. He is accurate: overcrowding is becoming an increasing concern for Chiltern, which is assessing options to mitigate the issue, such as further utilisation of the Class 68 units in and out of Marylebone to maximise capacity. There are issues with the diesel fleet, but we want to ensure that we can continue to provide the service for his Chiltern customers.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not explicitly assure the MP about permitting Chiltern to bring its extra set of Class 68s back into use or committing to short-term fixes.

How: Chiltern Is Assessing Options, We Want To Ensure That We Can Continue To Provide The Service

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Q3 Greg Smith Con Mid Buckinghamshire
Transport
Context

The Labour MP criticizes the Network North project, questioning its value and business case validity.

Question

Fresh from slashing and burning HS2 while in Manchester and spouting crank conspiracy theories, the Secretary of State announced Network North. However, that dodgy sounding 1970s ITV franchise does not have a single project with an approved business case, and plans are valued at 2019 prices. There was no promise to my hon. Friend the Member for Bradford East (Imran Hussain) a minute ago. Network North is literally not worth the paper it is written on, is it, Minister?

Answer from Huw Merriman

It most certainly is. When the Prime Minister announced Network North, it was clear that we were going to see a plethora of rail projects and, indeed, wider projects. We will better connect the major cities of the north, we will invest £2 billion so that Bradford can finally get the new station that it deserves and, as I have stated, we will add £2.5 billion to the West Yorkshire mass transit system. There is a huge amount of projects that we should all be celebrating, across parties.

Not addressed: The Minister did not address the specific question about the lack of approved business cases or outdated valuation methods.

How: Huge Amount Of Projects To Celebrate, Better Connecting Major Cities

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Q4 Mike Kane Lab Wythenshawe and Sale East
Transport
Context

The Labour MP questions the validity of the business cases for projects under Network North, citing a specific example like the Ely and Haughley project.

Question

Fresh from slashing and burning HS2 while in Manchester and spouting crank conspiracy theories, the Secretary of State announced Network North. However, that dodgy sounding 1970s ITV franchise does not have a single project with an approved business case, and plans are valued at 2019 prices. There was no promise to my hon. Friend the Member for Bradford East (Imran Hussain) a minute ago. Network North is literally not worth the paper it is written on, is it, Minister?

Answer from Huw Merriman

There is a huge amount of projects that we should all be celebrating, across parties. It is interesting that the Opposition seem to be knocking these opportunities to better connect cities across the north and the country. When it comes to business cases, the Ely and Haughley project, for example, has an outline business case of 4.6.

Not addressed: The Minister did not directly address whether there are no approved business cases or provide specific examples to refute the claim.

How: Huge Amount Of Projects, Interesting That Opposition Knock These Opportunities

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